`Inflation causes food consumption drop by 20 pct`

By Correspondent

10th May 2012

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A study conducted by a non-government organisation, Twaweza, in January this year indicates a slight but statistically insignificant recovery of inflation with 64.5 per cent out of 59.3 per cent of citizens having three meals a day.

The study based on mobile phone interviews with 358 residents in three Dar es Salaam districts focuses on food consumption and perception of their economic situation.

Published in January, this year, the study describes how high inflation rate has affected the lives of Dar es Salaam residents. Results show how in times of soaring food prices, the number of low income households that could afford three meals a day has dropped by 20 per cent since a baseline survey was conducted in 2010.

It also shows that Tanzania has recently experienced a very modest slow-down in inflation and assesses whether this trend has an observable effect on residents’ food consumption patterns and the current economic situation.

The results suggest slight improvements in the level of food security compared to the January 2012 survey – but many indicators of food consumption are still lower than in 2010. As a rough indicator for food security, respondents were asked how many meals per day they had during the week before the interview whereas in the 2010 baseline survey, 72.3 per cent of all respondents reported that they typically had three meals a day.

According to all three survey rounds, respondents were also asked how often they had certain types of food during the week before the interview.